knew
v. A1 Beginner US //ˈnju// UK //njˈuː// knew
v. the past tense of 'know'. You use it to say that you had information or were familiar with someone in the past.
v. the past tense of 'know'. Irregular form; describes a state of awareness, familiarity, or certainty held in the past.
I knew the answer to the question.
She knew the city well because she had lived there for ten years during her childhood.
Although the evidence was circumstantial, the detective knew instinctively that the suspect was hiding a much larger secret than he initially admitted.
Usage
The past tense of 'know'. Stative verb — rarely used in the continuous (-ing) form.
Pitfall
I have knew him for yearsI have known him for yearsLearners often confuse the past simple 'knew' with the past participle 'known' in perfect tenses.